Thakurani Jatra: Ghata Parikrama begins

BERHAMPUR: The famous biennial Thakurani Jatra festival in the city entered twelfth day on April 20. But the traditional procession of the ‘ghatam’ representing the goddess Budhi Thakurani, a major ritual of the festival started from April 18 night. This ritual had been deferred at the request of the administration and police due to continuing election process.
Usually the ‘ghatam’ visits the ‘Mausima Street’ on seventh, fourteenth and last day of the festival. But due to elections the ‘ghatam’ procession was taken out to the ‘Mausima Street, on the eleventh night of the festival, on April 18. The holy ‘ghatam’ was first carried to the palace of Mahuri dynasty, the erstwhile rulers of Berhampur. From there it was taken in a decorated procession through Bada bazaar, Khaspa Street, Narasimha street and different areas of the old city area. Thousands of devotees offered puja to the ‘ghatam’ at different places. Slowly the festivities of Thakurani Jatra is picking up in the city. On April 19 a large number of visitors from rural areas came down to the city to enjoy the festival. The number of devotees in garbs of mythological characters has also started to increase. A few ‘tiger dance’ performers were also seen on the streets of the city during Sunday.
Carnival spirit
With the Thakurani Jatra picking up its gusto, carnival spirit is slowly gripping the whole city. Youth and children have started moving all around the city in the attire of mythological characters. For the poor who cannot afford the costly attires there is the ‘Chhod Gajia Vesha”, which needs only torn clothes and black shoot as body colour.

The Hindu

First health spa of the state opened in silk city

BERHAMPUR: Sai Life Style Spa, the first modern multipurpose health-spa in the state, was inaugurated in the Silk City on April 19. It hinted at the increase in interest towards physical health and personal grooming among city dwellers. This new health-spa is spread across an area of 10,000 square feet. The health spa boasts of having the biggest swimming pool in the city. It would be the best attraction of the spa as there was dearth of swimming facility in the city. The city has a large number of tanks but most of them are so polluted that they are no more suitable for a swim, which the citizens used to have a few decades back.
The newly inaugurated spa has a well-equipped air-conditioned multi-gym, steam bath and Jacuzzi facility. It would have aerobic and dancing sessions at its dance floor under special trainers. To attract the children and the youth it also has a skating floor for roller skating freaks. As inaugural offer the spa has introduced special membership offers for children and women. It may be noted that the rise in health consciousness had become evident with the opening of several gyms, health clubs, walkers’ clubs, yoga groups in the city. Opening of this up-market spa adds up to the health business in the city.
The Hindu

Two mega food parks to come up in south Orissa

The Orissa government is planning to set up two mega food parks in south Orissa’s Ganjam and Gajapati districts at an investment of Rs 200 Crore. The proposal to set up the parks is pending before the Union Government’s concerned departments.Of the total investment, the Union Government is likely to bear 50 per cent of the cost, while the balance 50 per cent will be provided by the Orissa government. Two mega food processing units are likely to be set up in the food parks to facilitate vegetable and fruit processing. The proposed food parks will offer marketing avenues for different agricultural and horticultural products from the farmers after these products are scientifically processed.

Source: www.hospitalitybizindia.com

Naveen visits Tara Tarini Hill Shrine

BERHAMPUR: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President and Orissa Chief Minister, Mr.Naveen Patnaik, filed his nomination papers for the Hinjili Assembly constituency (Ganjam district) at Chatrapur on March 28. Mr. Patnaik is contesting from Hinjili seat for the third time in a row. He reached Chatrapur, the district headquarter of Ganjam district, by a helicopter to submit his nomination papers.
Before that he did not forget to offer his obeisance and special ‘Puja’ at the famous Tara Tarini Hill Shrine. Thousands of his supports and several leaders of the party accompanied Mr. Patnaik when he visited the temple of the twin Goddesses and spend around an hour on the hilltop. It is noteworthy that the famous and the holiest Tara Tarini Hill Shrine (http:/taratarini.nic.in) is one of the oldest pilgrimage sites of mother goddess and amongst the four major ancient Shakti centers in India. The Mythological Texts recognize four major Shakti peethas (centers), like Bimala, Taratarini (Orissa), Kamakshi (Assam) and Dakhina Kalika (West Bengal, Kolkata) among the 52 sacred Shakti Peethas, which originated from the limbs of the Corpse of Mata Sati in the Satya Yuga.

Preparations begin for world famous Thakurani Jatra in Berhampur

BERHAMPUR: The holy pole for the famous biennial Thakurani Jatra of Berhampur was installed at Desibehera street on March 22. This marked the beginning of the Jatra preparations.
Durga Prasad Desibehera, the chief organiser and the hereditary head of the Thakurani Jatra festival, accompanied by hundreds of devotees reached the main temple of the Goddess and after rituals installed the pole at Desibehera street. The Jatra is usually organised for 21 days but this year the organising committee has decided to hold the festival for 26 days from April 8 to May 4.
During this festival, Goddess Budhi Thakurani, the presiding deity of the Silk City is taken to her temporary abode at Desibehera street and stays there till the Jatra ends.

New Indian Express

Nature’s fury: Lakhs of turtle eggs float near Rushikulya

Berhampur: Nature’s creation of a suitable place and weather condition in the Rushikulya River mouth near Berhampur city of Ganjam district along the Bay of Bengal had invited the rare turtle species for nesting. However, the same nature has turned cruel towards the endangered species as lakhs of turtle eggs are perishing on the beach near the river mouth along the seacoast and floating on the water due to unusual tidal waves near the area, which is a favourite nesting place for turtles.
Notably, lakhs of Olive Ridley turtles had camped at the coast along the beach near the Rushikulya river mouth in the district of Ganjam. The rare species had preferred this river mouth along the beach instead of the Gahirmatha site owing to tidal waves, beach erosion and activities by the defense establishment at the ‘Wheeler’s Island’. Since 1994, the turtles have been sighted nesting here along the coast and laying lakhs of eggs, as the weather conditions are favorable along the beach.
Even during this season which started from February, the turtles had begun nesting and laying eggs at the beach near Rushikulya river mouth. Department sources had informed that more than 2,80,000 eggs had been sighted at the beach along the sea coast which is located within 30 km from the famous coastal town of Gopalpur-on – sea and Silk city Berhampur in Ganjam district. The forest department along with the help of the wildlife officials had been trying to provide a suitable location and secure the eggs during the season.
However, lakhs of eggs have been sighted scattered along the beach and floating in the seawater due to unusual tide in March this year. Normally, the turtles lay eggs in the evenings and hide them 1.5 feet under the sand. They leave the beach after placing the eggs and go deep into the sea in the morning.However, unusual tidal waves at a height of 1.5 feet to 2 feet have endangered the life of turtle eggs. The tidal waves have washed away the sand at least two feet deep in the beach as a result of which the eggs are being washed away. The eggs in thousands are being sighted scattered on the beach and floating in the seawater near the Rushikulya river mouth in recent days. Normally, such unusual tides are generally not expected by natural experts and wildlife officials working on the rare Olive Ridley turtles. Crows, dogs and other scavengers devour the eggs as food at the cost of precious lives of the endangered species.

The Pioneer

‘Berhampuri pattu’ to get GI recognition soon

The famous handloom silk sarees manufactured in Berhampur in Orissa would soon be included in the Government of India’s Geographical Indications (GI) registry.

This registry would provide statutory recognition of the geographical origin of these handloom textiles to their respective places of traditional manufacture.

Scientific officer of the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC), Bijaya Kumar Sahu, stated this during his address at a two-day regional seminar on ‘Intellectual property and innovation management in knowledge era’, which concluded on the Berhampur University campus on Friday.

Mr. Sahu said under the Geographical Indication of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, agricultural, natural or manufactured goods originating or manufactured in the territory of a country or a region or locality in that territory, could register as Geographical Indications (GI). It provides the registered proprietor and its authorised users would get exclusive legal right to use the GI. They also have the right to obtain relief in case of its infringement. The GI registration would be a boon for handloom textile manufacturers of Berhampur and Sambalpur as it would ensure that only genuine products are marketed in the name of Sambalpuri saree or Berhampuri Pattu.

Source: The Hindu

Chilika lake ecology faces threat from new confluence point

BERHAMPUR: The ecology of Chilika Lake -Asia's biggest brackish water lake - faces a serious threat due to a naturally formed new confluence point with the Bay of Bengal, according to marine scientists.
"If the new mouth will exist for a long period and widen further, it has the potential to change the salinity level of the lake and may put its rich flora and fauna under stress," Dr.R C Panigrahi, Professor of Marine Science Department at the Berhampur University, said.
Spread over 1200 sq km, Chilika is famous for Irrawadi dolphins, a rare species. The vast lake is also the source of livelihood for lakhs of fishermen living around the districts of Ganjam, Puri and Khurda.
The new confluence point near Gabakunda, a village on the bank of the Chilika, was seen on August one. It is less than a kilometre away from the existing confluence point at Sipakuda. The new mouth was only 50 metres wide at first, but now has expanded to about 400 metres, the chief executive of the Chilika Development Authority, Sudarshan Panda, said.
"Initially, there is no threat to Chilika with the opening of the new mouth. But we cannot say much about its effect in the long term," he said.The salinity level of Chilika water presently varies from nine to 11 PPT while the salinity of the sea water measured at 18 PPT.
"The new mouth opened during monsoon pressure and may close in coming months," the CDA chief said. Senior scientists are being engaged to study the effect on the ecology of the lake with the opening of the new mouth, Panda said.The change in the salinity of the water will depend on the longevity of the new mouth, Panda said.
The change in water quality would be known only after the summer season when the sea water enters the lake, the vice-chancellor of Berhampur University, Bijay Kumar Sahu, also a marine scientist, said.
P K Mohanty, another Professor at the Marine Science Department of Berhampur University, however, ruled out any "immediate threat" to the nearby coastal villages due to the opening of the new mouth in the lake. "We think there is no threat to the nearby villages with the opening of the new mouth," he said.
Mohanty was one of the members to study the impact on coastal villages following the formation of new confluence constituted by the Orissa State Dissaster Mitigation Authority. (PTI)

Ministers on ‘inauguration’ spree. They are unmindful of what they are unveiling

BERHAMPUR: In the blind rush to inaugurate buildings before the declaration of elections, politicians seem to turn a blind eye to what they are unveiling. Without any flutter they do not mind to unveil an old inauguration plaque not meant for the ceremony. Union Minister of State for Rural Development, Chandrasekhar Sahu inaugurated the trauma care centre in the MKCG medical college campus in the city. It was for sure this inauguration ceremony at Mr. Sahu’s hometown had been planned just a few hours before. The organizers did not get time to get a new granite plaque with names of inaugurator and guests chiselled on it. They used an old granite plaque, which had been prepared for a cancelled inauguration function in the past for the same trauma center.

The granite inauguration plaque, which was unveiled by the Union Minister and before which the Minister performed ritualistic Puja, was the old one. The data chiselled on it had no relation with this inauguration ceremony. As per the plaque, the Revenue Divisional Commissioner (RDC), southern division, Satyabrata Sahu, and Ganjam District Collector, V.K.Pandian, were present during the inauguration ceremony. But both these top officials were nowhere around this hurried function, which seemed more of a Congress party meeting. There was also mention of BJD MLA of Berhampur, R.C.C.Patnaik, as a guest of honour on the plaque, who surely was not an invitee to this hurried function.

The greatest blunder was that as per the plaque unveiled by Mr. Sahu, the inauguration ceremony was being held on Feb 11, not on Monday. On Feb 11, this trauma centre funded by the Central Government was to be inaugurated by the Union Minister Oscar Fernandes. That ceremony was cancelled as Mr. Fernandes did not turn up. It was quite evident that the name of Mr. Fernandes had been covered up with black colour but there was no time and scope to rectify other errors or to get a new inauguration plaque.

Luckily, Mr. Sahu was to be a guest in the Feb. 11 function and his name was on it. The organizers therefore did not shy off to use the old plaque after covering up the name of Mr. Fernandes. They did not realise that the date and names of other persons on the inauguration plaque were also important. After a few hours of the function a group of men were seen trying hard to cover up and rewrite the inauguration date on the plaque.

The Hindu

Berhampur facing water crisis

BERHAMPUR: The city is on the verge of facing severe water scarcity this summer. Ironically it is going to coincide with the coming elections, when promises to solve drinking water crisis would have a free flow. This time leaders of political parties would have sheepish moments when the issue would come up for discussion during the election campaign. Another five years of promises and rhetoric about remedies for the perennial drinking water crisis in the city have passed. No practical solution has come up yet to solve the drinking water crisis.
Lack of rains during the winter months has drastically depleted the ground water level of the city. Wells, ponds and tube wells have started to dry up from the beginning of March.
The bed of Rushikulya River is also dry. It is going to affect the drinking water supply to the city as both the existing drinking water projects for the city are directly or indirectly related to this river.
The drinking water supply to the city has not increased much since last Assembly and Lok Sabha polls. But many projects have come up in files during the period. The city needs around 46 million litres of water per day (MLD). As per official records it gets a supply of only 33 MLD which falls to around 27 MLD in summer.
According to sources at present the supply is less than that. The list of unfulfilled promises and projects packed in files, aimed at solving the drinking water crisis of the city is quite long.
The Congress MP of Berhampur and Union Minister, Chandrasekhar Sahu a few years back had come up with proposal to connect the large tanks of the city to take their water to Dakhinpur reservoir for its supply after purification. But the idea seems to be forgotten. He as well as the BJD MLA of Berhampur, R.C.C.Patnaik continue to compete with each other in speeches to take credit for the proposed Ghatakeswar project.
Although the project was proposed to be completed by 2010 the real work on the project has not started yet. It may be noted that the foundation stone for this project has been laid twice in the past.
Foundation stone was laid for the renovation of the old reservoir at Dakshinpur to increase its water bearing capacity to increase water supply from it to the city. But according to sources the water supply from Dakhinpur reservoir has not increased till date. It was also reported that the Centre had sanctioned money for a new water treatment plant to provide 15 MLD of extra water to the city after its completion. But it has not materialised.
The long term project like the Cheligada project and a project to bring water by pipeline from Bhanjanagar to Dakhinpur, which are repeated by politicians are yet to take root.
The Hindu, 13 March

EDMS in LIC's Berhampur division by 2010

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) expects its Entrepreneur Data Management System (EDMS) to be functional in its Berhampur division in Orissa by 2010. The EDMS would enable the public sector life insurer to maintain paperless records of its customers.LIC is setting up its new branch building here which would run on the EDMS platform and the branch is expected to be operational within a year. LIC had introduced EDMS two years back to enable the setting up of paperless branches across the country. This system is now in its second phase of implementation and the third phase would be implemented in Orissa. The proposed new building of LIC in the city would store the records of all the clients of the Berhampur division. These records would be stored in paperless form in the computers. “We will scan all the records of the customers and the records would be available under one roof. The customers can get all information relating to payment of premiums or getting claims from a single branch”, CH Jakkapannavar, senior divisional manager of LIC’s Berhampur division told Business Standard. The Berhampur division of LIC has 14 branches catering to 20 lakh customers in ten districts of South Orissa.“The proposed branch building of LIC which would carry out paperless transactions will have a total built-up area of about 15,000 sq ft. The building is coming up adjacent to LIC’s divisional office. It is being set up at a cost of Rs 8 crore and is expected to be functional within a year”, he added. Source: Business Standard

World Bank to fund Rs 303cr water project for Berhampur City

The World Bank is likely to fund the Rs 303 crore drinking water project for Berhampur in South Orissa. The scheme envisages bringing water from Surada reservoir, located about 100-km from here. The detailed project report (DPR) was submitted to the World Bank team which had visited the city recently to study the feasibility of the project. "We have already submitted the DPR and it is now under the active consideration of the World Bank", said a senior official of the Urban Water Supply department. The implementation of the scheme is necessary as the city reels under acute scarcity of drinking water during the peak summer season. With a population of over 5 lakh, the city needs 45 million litres of water daily. However, the city gets only 33 million litres per day, which goes down to 20-24 million litres during the peak summer, sources said.The water to the city is being supplied from the Rushikulya water supply system at Madhapur, about 30 km from here and the Dakhinapur Impounding Reservoir located on the outskirts of the city. The water supply was disrupted for about four to five hours from the Rushikulya water supply system on Sunday due to the power failure, said an engineer. Meanwhile the government is mulling to tackle the situation with assistance from the World Bank by bringing water from the Surada reservoir through pipes. At present, the water supply is through the canal. "We feel that sufficient water can be drawn from Surada reservoir when it comes through the pipe", sources said. This apart, the government is also planning to implement the Ghatakeswar medium irrigation project with an investment of Rs 24 crore. National Bank for Agriculture and rural Development (Nabard) has sanctioned the project. Following the completion of this project, about 8 million litres of water would be supplied to the city every day. Meanwhile, a project for water treatment at the Dakhinapur reservoir is underway, involving an investment of Rs 5.20 crore. The project is being executed under the Urban Infrastructure Development for Samll and Medium Towns (UIDSMT) to treat about 20 million litres of water daily.

Source: Business Standard

Naveen to open STPI centre in Berhampur

BERHAMPUR: The third centre of the Software Technology Park of India in Orissa is going to be inaugurated in Berhampur. According to sources it is scheduled to be inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the last week of February. After Bhubaneswar and Rourkela it would be the third STPI in Orissa. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Orissa government and the STPI in July 2005. Mr. Patnaik had laid its foundation stone in December 2006 during the boom period of IT sector. Ironically the centre is slated for inauguration while global recession has started to impact the IT sector.
There are expectations that due to low infrastructure cost in a city like Berhampur, IT companies would take advantage of the centre and establish their units here. At present the STPI has around 125 IT units registered with its other two units.
This centre would also provide technological incubation infrastructure facility to new small-scale IT entrepreneurs. These entrepreneurs would be provided ready-to-use space at an affordable cost by the Berhampur STPI. These entrepreneurs as well as the IT units to come up in Berhampur would also be eligible to get consultancy facility from the STPI. It would have an internal engineering resource force to offer consultancy services in key aspects of IT industry. A state of the art Infopark would also be established adjacent to the STPI.

The Hindu

First of its kind in the world

A billiards match in deep sea

BERHAMPUR: Noted scuba diver Sabir Bux and Ahsan-ul-Haq, a national-level billiards player today played billiards under the deep sea at Gopalpur-on-Sea near Berhampur city in Orissa. This type of underwater sport performance is first of its kind in the world, Bux claimed.

This was a trial match and both the players would also play the final match underwater, the date of which is yet to be decided.

For this trial match, an 8 X 4 sq feet green coated iron table was prepared and installed about 20 feet deep in the water and six specialized balls were used. The match was organized by Kalinga Divers, an organization set up Bux to train students in scuba diving, and sponsored by Decalib clinic, USA. Four other underwater divers - all of them students of Kalinga Divers - assisted them in the run up to the match.

Express News

Mass nesting of Olive Ridleys begins

More turtles are awaited as nesting is to continue for some more days
Forest officials keeping watch on tourists in a bid to safeguard the nesting
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BERHAMPUR: Olive Ridleys started mass nesting on Rushikulya rookery coast in Orissa from February 17 night.
Sporadic nesting of these turtles had started on this coastline since past few days. On Saturday night around 3500 Olive Ridleys came out of the sea to lay their eggs. It hinted at the start of mass nesting of the turtles at this coast for this season. On Sunday night more than 80,000 Olive Ridleys nested on a stretch of around two-and-half kilometres near Rushikulya rookery said A.K. Jena, the Divisional Forest Officer of Berhampur who monitored the protection of these turtles during nesting.
It may be noted that this coast is one of the most preferred nesting sites of Olive Ridleys. These turtles also nest at Devi River rookery and Gahirmatha Beach in Orissa. In 2006 a unique phenomenon had occurred on this coast with mass nesting of turtles occurring twice on this coast.
According to Mr Jena this mass nesting is expected to continue for a few more days as large numbers of turtles were still in the sea near the coast waiting to lay their eggs at night. Forest department officials and wildlife experts from the WWF and Wild Life Institute of India, Dehradun are monitoring the mass nesting.The whole stretch of beach meant for nesting has been divided into 33 segments of around 100 metres length. At all these segments data regarding the arrival of Olive Ridleys reaching the coast to lay eggs is being recorded. The fishermen of the area and tourists have been directed to refrain from entering the sea as the mother turtles are waiting to come out to the coast at night. Forest officials are keeping watch on tourists so that they do not hamper the tranquil nature of the beach which is a major criterion for mass nesting. Mr Jena said they started efforts to protect the eggs of these rare marine creatures. The stretch is to be fenced off to protect entry of predators like dogs and foxes which usually dig up to eat the eggs.

The Hindu, February 17

Rushikulya gears up for Olive Ridleys

Much to the ecstasy of the turtle conservationists and researchers, the much-awaited mass nesting of the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles have started this year on the shore of river Rushikulya in Ganjam district since Sunday night, said DFO of Rushikulya, AK Jena.
About 80,000 endangered Olive Ridley turtles arrived for nesting on Sunday night on the three-km-long stretch between Purunabandha and Gokharkuda under Rushikulya for laying eggs, said the DFO. According to Jena, ‘Arribada’, the Spanish term used for mass nesting has started and it will continue at least for the next couple of days.
Female lays 120-150 eggs in one go. They arrive at the coast in night and after laying eggs go back to the deep sea water. Hatchlings emerge from these eggs after 45-60 days and find their way to the sea creating a cacophony. It is one of nature’s rare phenomena where babies grow without their mother, said the forest official. The eggs hatched in low temperatures mostly yield males. The mortality rate of the endangered species is so high that one out of every 1,000 eggs laid ultimately hatches and the hatchling survives to become an adult Olive Ridley.
In a bid to give protection to the Olive Ridley sea turtles during the ongoing mass nesting along the Orissa coasts, the forest department is taking all necessary measures. The forest officials and Coast Guard personnels have also engaged themselves in the ongoing turtle conservation programme by stepping up sea-patrolling in order to check illegal entry of trawlers in the prohibited area.
Apart from Rushikulya, the turtles also visit Gahirmatha and Devi river mouths in large numbers every year for mass nesting. Among the nesting grounds, Gahirmatha is known as the world’s largest rookery of the endangered species, said official sources.
To protect the turtles, the forest officials have effectively enforced the ban order from November 1 to May 31 under the Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1982 and Orissa Marine Fishing Rules, 1983. Under the Orissa Marine Fishing Regulation Act (OMFRA) and rules framed there under, 5 km of seaward belt in off-shore area from high tide line is exclusively reserved for traditional crafts, and fishing by mechanised vessels is strictly prohibited in the area.
Sea turtles generally nest at night. During the breeding season, males and females migrate from their feeding ground to the breeding ground and mating occurs on the offshore water. The female turtles tend to move towards the beaches in large synchronised concentration. They lay their eggs at midnight in 45 cm-deep pits which they dig with their rear flippers. After laying the eggs in the pits, the female turtles cover the nests with sand and return to the sea in a zigzag manner to confuse predators about the location of the nests.
Though every year endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles come for ‘Arribada’ to the Orissa coasts but it has remained a mystery till date whether the turtles start their annual sojourn from the Pacific Ocean or Arabian Sea before nesting. In order to ascertain the fact, the WII, with the help of State forest department has set up 30 Satellite Telemetric Transmitters on turtles in three nesting places, including Rushikulya, Gahirmatha and Devi river mouth, said Rushikulya DFO.
Scientists of Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) with the help of State forest officials have recently fitted two Platform Transmitter Terminals (PTT), commonly known as satellite telemetric transmitters, on 31st January on the carapaces of a male and a female turtle at the Rushikulya beach. Even plans are afoot by the WII scientists to fit thirty-three more PTTs on the carapaces of turtles in the ongoing turtle season at Rushikulya, Devi and Gahirmatha, informed official sources.
When contacted, DFO of Rajnagar Mangrove Forest Division PK Behera informed that as sporadic nesting of the endangered turtles has been going on in some beaches under the marine sanctuary since the last ten days, there is every possibility that mass nesting phenomenon might have occurred at any moment in the beaches of Babubali, Pentha, Agarnashi, Barunei and Nasi-I and II.a

Gopalpur Port sets record in cargo handling

BERHAMPUR: Record amount of cargo was handled in a single day on February 20,2009 at the seasonal anchorage port at Goplapur near Berhampur city on Orissa coast.
Joyous moments
It led to joyous moments at this port, which is being transformed into an all weather mega port. As per the authorities of the Gopalpur Ports Limited (GPL), on Wednesday they could handle around 10,100 metric tonnes of cargo at this anchorage port. Never before in its history had such large amount of cargo been handled at this anchorage port since its inception in 1987. A ship carrying 50,000 tonnes of fertilizer imported by Indian Potash Limited (IPL) is now anchored in sea near the Gopalpur port. Cargo from the ship is being carried to the port through large barges. The seasonal port became functional in December like earlier years. Till now it has handled around 2,60,000 tonnes of cargo. The port authorities envision that they would be able to handle about four lakh tonnes of cargo during the current season of operation, which is to end in May due to changing climatic condition. Last year this port had handled around three lakh tonnes of cargo. The port authorities said they are able to handle more cargo this year due to better infrastructure. They now have 12 large barges of which eight are self propelled. The seasonal anchorage port at Gopalpur was being managed by the Orissa government since its inception. It was taken over by the GPL three years back for its development into an all weather port with an investment of more than Rs. 1700 crores.
MoU signed
The GPL happens to be a consortium of Orissa Stevedores Ltd. (OSL), Noble Group Ltd. of Hong Kong and Sara International Ltd., which entered into an MoU with the Orissa government to take over the Gopalpur port to develop it into a major all weather port on Build-Operate-Own-Share-Transfer (BOOST) basis by 2010.
After taking over the Goplapur port, the GPL decided to restart the seasonal port which had stopped cargo operation for several years under the State government. Initially it was able to handle small cargo ships. But now the port has been able to handle cargo ships with more than 50,000 tonnes of cargo despite the fact that the cargo has to be carried by barges from the ship to the coast.

February 20, The Hindu

IG Police Range for South Orissa and Police Commissionerate system for Berhampur City

R.P.Tripathy

The present state of lawlessness in South Orissa should be a cause of concern for the State as maoist strikes, violence, murder and gang war has become common of late in this region. People here are under panic for the last few months but the administration seems to be unmoved. Till now the region has been grappling with Maoist activities and added to this the heinous murder of revered Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and other monks, the violence following that incident in Kandhamal, Gajapati and Jeypore, gang-war and day light murder in Berhampur, murder for liquor license in Ganjam District, political murder and violence in Aska, Sorada and Bhanjanagar, rising maoist violence in Rayagada and Malkangiri shows the inability of the State Government to maintain law and order in South Orissa.

This will be in the fitness of things for the State Government to take stern measures to contain the volatile situation in the region by the creation of a new police IG range at Berhampur by bringing together the DIG Southern Range, Berhampur and DIG South Western Range Sunabeda. Added to this Police Commissionerate system for Berhampur City has become inevitable in view of the deteriorating law and order situation in the Greater Berhampur Region. With the Army base, Gopalpur Port, IRE and other sensitive establishments situated in around the city which need enhanced security cover, the Police Commissionerate system has to be introduced in an expeditious manner. Further, appointing a Superintendent of Police for Railway at Berhampur has to be considered in view of the maoist threat perception on railway property and Berhampur being the transit point for criminals and maoist elements from Orissa and Andhra Pradesh needs special security arrangement including installation of CCTV cameras in the Railway Station. To overcome the present situation of violence, murder and lawlessness in South Orissa we urge your immediate intervention and affirmative action. The people of the region have seen enough of underdevelopment and deprivation and they can ill afford such a deteriorating environment arising out of complete lawlessness. The State Government should walk the talk of bringing normalcy and lasting peace in South Orissa by the creation of an IG Police Range at Berhampur, introduction of Police Commissionerate system for Berhampur city and creation of a new Railway Police District at Berhampur at the earliest.

Unitary University Status for historic Khallikote College

R.P.Tripathy

In the educationally backward and tribal dominated region of South Orissa, Khallikote College has been a great hope with its exceptional track record of over a century and half. The institution began as a high school in 1856 before becoming a full-fledged college in the year 1878. The Institution with its glorious past of more than 150 years has been one of the leading centers of learning and intellectual pursuits in Orissa. The Institution has the reputation of producing a former President of India and a host of Governors, Ministers, scientists, educationists and freedom fighters among a long list of illustrious persons since its establishment in pre-independent India.

Over the last few years owing to paucity of teaching and administrative staff, inadequate state support and overall deterioration of higher education infrastructure the Institution has failed to live up to theexpectations. This is high time that the State Government did something urgently to restore the lost glory and academic standards of the historic Institution.

In this regard, granting Unitary University Status to Khallikote College has become an imperative. Further, to ensure its expansion and to facilitate the opening of the new Departments, a new campus of the Institution should be planned on the outskirts of Berhampur city. As many Organizations of the region have suggested, this proposed Unitary University should be named as Khallikote Mardraj University in memory of Raja Ramchandra Mardraj of Khallikote who is one of the founding fathers of the modern day Odisha State.

The State Government should exhibit the same seriousness and urgency, as was the case with Ravenshaw College and University College of Engineering, to grant Unitary University Status to Khallikote College with a new campus at the earliest.

Set up the Nano car Plant at Goplapur in Orissa

Set up the Nano car Plant at Goplapur in Orissa

R.P.Tripathy

Gopalpur near Berhampur City of Orissa was chosen as the location by the TATA group some 13 years ago for the biggest steel plant of India. Unlike Singur in West Bengal there was no such fierce opposition in Gopalpur over land acquisition and the state administration successfully acquired the huge tract of land, but even then the steel plant didn't come through. As a matter of fact, the TATA group is still in possession of the 3800 acres of land even today by the side of NH-5 and NH-217 and Howarh-Chennai main rail line near the upcoming Goplapur Mega port.

From a lay man's point of view, when so much hue and cry is created over 1000 acres of land in West Bengal for the Nano plant, why can't the TATA group consider Gopalpur in Orissa as an alternate location to house the Nano car plant? Seen otherwise, those people whose land was acquired by the State government and TATAs, showing them the dream of a huge steel plant where they will get jobs and there will be overall economic prosperity are now virtually begging in the streets of Berhampur city and elsewhere, having lost their livelihood and with no industry in sight. Won't it be logical now to give something to those people who lost their source of livelihood for the sake of the steel plant and in return got only miseries for their life time? Today there is no one to listen to their plight and no one is ready to take the responsibility for this fiasco. So, it reinforces the belief of a section of society who oppose industrialization under the pretext that it doesn't help those who suffer the most and eventually they prove to be correct in cases like this. To dispense the myth we need true corporate responsibility, patronage and commitment which are missing in the case of TATAs at Gopalpur.

So, it is high time that the possibility of locating the proposed Nano car plant at Gopalpur is explored. This would require zero displacement and the land being with TATAs would ensure its early commencement. If Gopalpur is not found suitable for the Nano car plant it must be ensured that the land under possession of the TATA group is returned to their owners, so that at least livelihood of thousands of families is not threatened and is brought back to normalcy